Crystal River current. [volume] (Crystal, Colo.) 1886-18??, 1887-06-25
EULER OF MILLIONS.

forms Expected of the Youn. EN-
peror.
The despot of nearly one-fourth of
the human race, the mystic occupant
OF the dragon throne, regarded by his
millions of benighted subjects as more
OF god than OF the ordinary mortal
stuff that kings are made of. is IL poten-
tate. writes Shanghai correspondent
of The NeW York Hcruid, of whom the
great world. outside his gorgeous pal
ace in Pekin, knows little. Still less is
his knowledge of the countries, OF the
people, of the Ives and manners of the
inhabitants of this mundane sphere be-
yond the bourncs OF this vast empire.
Ent rely in the hands of his willy courti
ers, seeing only from what they lift the
veil, hearing only through their wakcfnl
e:trs the little they desire HIM to know;
brought up in the mysterious and awful
scci,ision which has always hemmcd in
sor uf lung CHI, the 'Louely Man."
the '.Vicegerent of Heaven as his
subjects. among other similar titles
without number, call him, knows lit
tie. even of his people, and about rs
much of his power.
KwanS Su, the ninth of the Is ng
dy nasty. Manchu by descent, nominal
ly commenced to reign in 1873, inn
med atcly after The death of his cousin,
Tung Chi, WHO died of smallpox that
year, at the age Of 10. But the present
emperor's reign really began on Mon
day last Fcb. Z, 1880, when his moth
Ell, who had during his minority been
regarded AS the head of the state, re-
signed her place on the throne to him.
The ceremonies attending his assump-
on of the rclns oil government We're
OF the most elaborate and curious
character. The first act in the long
list of imperial rites took place on Dee.
Il, whcl the emperor offered up the
anc Ont sacr ice III the Temple OF
llcaNcn at IN dnig!it. lie next wen.
through the ceremony, dating back to
cenlurics before the date assigned by
Christian chronologists to the flood, and
known as the consultation OF the
heavenly registers at the sacred edifice
called the Tai-ho-tien, after which the
prayer recited by him ut the sacrifice
was burned This Or son is, of course,
too holy II thing 10 he read by mortal
eyes after his nIajcsty lias looked upon
IL. \ terrible fate is ST. Il to be rescrv-
cd for the wretch who has the tcmerity
to transgrcss n this respect, but un-
fortunately We arc left 10 wonder what
the precise form of punishment would
lie TO the profaner, as there is no case
on record of such transyression.
The 9TH of the pres mt month. which
is the fifteenth ,la of the first Chinese
moon, was chosen b. astro!o@ers and
corroboraicl by the REGISTERS as the
auspic GUS date for the emperor to COM
mencc his majority and su;iarsedc his
mother, llcnceforward the sacred
red pencil which is use rs !, royal seal
OH state documents W il be welded by
This doubtful emperor without the
maternal assistance. Ii may strike peo-
pie outside China al: siran;s that here.
IN Il country where woman il; held in
universal Contempt the highest affairs
of state should have b'nn II loved to be
transacted by one of The a,spiscd sex
for SO many Years. The neat item in
the impcr III programme was the usual
prolonged fast NJ in the Temple OF
Fasting, which terminates the pre-
| III mar ceremonies. The emperor
has s.ncs been prcpar ny himself for the
more important functions by days and
nights of prayer and supposed COM
munion with The shades OF his gloriiied
ancestors. But agan your corrc-
spontlent is at II loss, and in common
with everyone else in China confesscs
his inability to state what took place ut
any of these supernatural interviews.
On Monday, however. all the imperial
clan. numbering many hundreds and
termed III. Isung Shh, and the high
min sters. including Ii Hung Chang
and the Marquis Tseng, were assembled
by cdict in the paiacc TO witness the
Of 81 -
the emperor
No European eye has ever witnessed
the proceedings upon such un occasion,
and 1T is doubtful whrthcr any has ev-
er seen the inside OF the palace at all.
But tho ceremony is briefly this: A
crash on cymbals and the assembly
falls down, face to the ground. pros
tratU before TIL, empress mother,
IIwang How she is callcd-angellc
mother OF the state. The emperor then
enters the hall, surro;ude by his reti-
nue. and dressed in flowing robes OF yell
low and gold. He bows to the ground,
or kowtows, as it is termed, three
times, in homage to the maternal dig
nifty. The rest of the ;,ssemblage fol-
low his example and remain rs ,ng and
falling. like Mohanmedan ut prayer.
for several minutes. At the appropri-
ate time the empress v;tcates her seat,
which she has filed for the last time,
unless the emperor dies. when she, in
respect of her right us empress dow
ager. again resumes her place. and the
courtiers avert their eyes from his aug
l,st countenance and continue the koW-
towing once more.
A long scroll is then laid before the
emperor, on which lie makes q stray
CLING looking mark with the rcd pencil.
and the ceremony concludes, the clans
men aud ministers retiring in order OF
precedence, to VIII 81! great attention is
paid. us Il mistake in this matter is IL
very grave and unfortunate affair in
decd. The mark which his majesty